Fiction Eval leaderboard · comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Llama 4 Maverick for fiction writing
Judged blind on fresh genre scenes (LitRPG, cozy mystery, romance, thriller,
xianxia…), July 2026 — three tries per model per scene, passages shown in both orders so
position can't sway it, graded by a third AI that isn't either of them.
Head-to-head
Claude Sonnet 4.6 won the direct matchup 30–0 (with 0 ties) across every prompt and sample.
| # | Model | Score | Record | Slop |
|---|
| 2 | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | 1914 (likely 1874–1961) | 146–15–46 | 18.57 |
| 8 | Llama 4 Maverick | 686 (likely 627–741) | 0–206–1 | 22.92 |
The score is each model's overall strength across the whole 8-model field
(like a chess rating); the range next to it is where the true score most likely sits. Slop is
a separate count of AI tells (lower is cleaner) — it isn't part of the ranking.
The same scene, both models
Romance — opening of the "romance turn" scene. Full passages for all models are on the board.
Claude Sonnet 4.6:
The inventory had to be done by morning, and Reyes had locked them both in. Mara set another box on the folding table. Marcus didn't look up from his clipboard. The fluorescent light above them had been flickering for twenty minutes and neither of them had mentioned it. "Twelve boxes of the archive files," she said. "I have eleven." "Count again." He counted again. "Twelve." She pulled the next box. He made the mark. Outside, the building had gone completely quiet—the cleaning crew, the last of the associates, everyone gone home. The clock on the wall said 11:40. "You always do that," Marcus said. "Do what." "Say *count again* before I've even had a chance to—" He stopped. Made another mark. Mara lifted a box that was heavier than it looked and found her footing before she'd quite found her footing. She didn't drop it. Marcus had half-risen from his stool, one hand out, and when she steadied he sat back down and looked at his clipboard like it had …
Llama 4 Maverick:
Eira scrubbed the last pot with a vigor that threatened to wear through the metal. Beside her, Kael rinsed the dishes with a detachment that grated on her nerves. They'd been stuck doing the chore for what felt like hours, the silence between them thick as the grime on the pots. "You're doing it wrong," Eira said, not looking up. "I'm doing it exactly as instructed," Kael replied, his tone even. Eira snorted, dunking the pot into the rinse water. "You're not even getting the soap off." Kael's hands stilled, and for a moment, Eira thought she'd finally gotten under his skin. But when he spoke, his voice was still calm. "Perhaps you could demonstrate." Eira hesitated, then took the pot from him. As she rinsed it, her fingers brushed against his, a fleeting touch that sent a spark through her. She jerked her hand back, focusing on the task at hand. "See? You need to make sure the water's hot enough." Kael's eyes were on her hands, now. "I …
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Claude Sonnet 4.6 full review ·
Llama 4 Maverick full review ·
the July 2026 report ·
all comparisons